I arrived with such confidence and hope. I left with the realization that my body had huge deficiencies.

To say the newly developed golf program at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort in Miami, FL, is humbling is a bit of an understatement. But with a hot new focus on fitness and wellness in the golf world, the resort’s new program is revolutionizing the golf getaway. As an avid golfer, I had to head there to test it out myself.

The Biomechanics of Golf

My first stop is the on-site Willow Stream Spa, where Pete Bommarito, one of the United States’ top sports performance coaches, has set up shop. He’s a well-known name in NFL circles, helping train the likes of Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, among other clients.He focuses on common shortcomings that affect all golfers.

“It’s all about biomechanics,” he says, before I strip down to nothing but my gym shorts for his assessment of my physical well-being. (Not my proudest moment, I have to admit.)
“Because golfers swing only from one side, muscles tend to get over-used in some areas and under-used in others,” Bommarito continues. “It’s my job to activate and strengthen those underused muscle areas again.”

Without getting too technical, Bommarito focuses on our body inhibitors. “The way the body works is, if a muscle or area is underused or causes pain, the brain shuts it off and forces the body to compensate for this inefficiency in other ways,” he says. “My job is to discover those deficiencies and reset the proper neuromuscular pattern.”

Perfected Pain Management

After I inform him of my recent left-knee surgery and the fact I’ve separated my right shoulder three times over my lifetime, he begins the “biomechanical evaluation.”After performing a series of squats and push-ups, Bommarito twists my ankles and knees to see what type of rotation I have in each leg. He shouts numbers to be recorded between zero and four, the former signifying good rotation and extension and the latter indicating “huge deficiencies.” I heard more fours than I would have preferred.

But my embarrassment soon turns to amazement. Every time Bommarito discovers a deficiency, he begins a series of exercises that feel like stretching, but he calls it a “reawakening of the muscles.” My right hip exterior rotation that measured a mere five degrees and caused sharp pain, is now rotating 30 degrees less than five minutes later—with no pain.

“At the end of the day, golfers—especially older ones—want to reduce pain, because pain is taking them away from the game they love,” Bommarito says of the process he incorporates, which is officially known as Greg Roskopf’s Muscle Activation Technique. “I can honestly say, with all humility, that our entire multi-disciplinary approach has perfected pain management.”

For those on shorter stays, Bommarito says he can run through his assessment in one day to at least identify pain problems and prescribe some fixes.

“I guarantee we will find something wrong with everyone,” he says, only half-jokingly, noting that some full evaluations take no longer than an hour to complete. Those who have more time can leave armed with exercises and a nutrition program, depending on their time commitment and their financial means.

Small Changes Have the Biggest Impact

With Bommarito’s analysis complete, I’m off to the driving range with Bill Forrest, who heads up Fairmont’s THEgolfacademy. A native of Ottawa who now splits his time between Scottsdale and Miami, Forrest was recently named one of Golf magazine’s Top 100 Teachers. His lessons revolve around four building blocks: ball striking, short game (any shot from 100 yards or less), course management and mental game.

“Each building block is of equal importance,” Forrest says. “A lot of male golfers focus too much on ball striking and not enough on the other aspects of the game.”

As a seven handicap, I had one main beef to ask Forrest about—lowering my ball flight. For years, I’ve hit an extremely high golf ball, which is great on calm days when I can make the ball stop on a dime. But on days when the wind blows, my score can balloon by 10 strokes.

“You’re a flicker,” Forrest says after watching three swings with my seven iron. “You flick the golf ball with your wrists, which is giving you false height.”Trying not to focus on what the heck false height could possibly mean, I listen as Forrest gives me a set of drills that keep my hands in front of the ball at impact, rather than behind. Sure enough, a few shots later, the flight drops significantly. For the first time in recent memory, I’m hitting punch shots with my mid-irons—a small, but personal victory.

And in a game as gloriously infuriating as golf, I’ll take any small victory I can get.

Exercises to Improve Your Golf Game

Here are Peter Bommarito warm up tips designed to hep your golf game:

Physio ball rotation

While holding the ball, use a resistance machine and rotate away from it, keeping an upright posture and bent knees. This exercise strengthens hip and trunk rotation while building stabilization.
 

Low to high single-arm reverse fly

Same as the last tip, but in a diagonal motion that helps strengthen shoulders.
 

Dynamic hip & trunk stretch

Lying down, keep your legs straight and knees locked. Bring them over to the opposite side and hold for five seconds, then repeat on the other side. This stretch is ideal before getting out on the golf course.
 

Lumbar rolls

While lying down, bend knees and hip at 90 degrees with your feet off the ground.

Roll lower body and hips from side to side, while keeping knees squeezed together with arms away from body and palms flat on the ground. Don’t allow shoulders to lift off ground while rotating body. This exercise provides lower back and trunk strengthening, as well as increases your range of motion.
 

Glute & rotator hip stretch

Cross one leg over the other. Pull opposite leg towards the body, stretching the opposite hip. Keep your head on the ground and upper body relaxed.

Photos courtesy of the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.